Avenging Fire

Helena floated in and out of consciousness. For how long, she didn’t know. She was aware of being in a room with people standing over her and she heard fragments of conversations.

“I’ve put a containing spell around her in case she ignites again.”

“…located an expert.”

“I never thought I would see another of her kind…first manifestation…in my lifetime.”


Darkness.


“Dr. Nyx? Dr. Nyx? Are you with us?” a vaguely humanoid blur who stood over her asked. The voice was female.

A touch on the shoulder.


Darkness.


“Still no change. She only partially regains consciousness.”

“…pyrokinetic…psychokinetic. Who knows what else.”

“…will be discovered in time.”

“…can learn to control it.”


Darkness.


“…can’t return home…be looking for her.”

“…changes things immensely.”


Darkness.


Helena was first aware of a searing headache. It seemed every muscle in her body had been subjected to electrical shocks or torn apart and put back together. Her mouth was so dry that her tongue felt like leather. She moaned weakly.

“She’s awake. Go get the Headmaster.” the female voice said.

“Yes, Mistress.” A diminutive voice responded.

“Dr. Nyx? Can you hear me?”

Helena moved her lips silently.

“I want you to open your eyes. I’ve dimmed the lights but they’ll still be very bright to you. Take it slow.”

Helena tried to open her eyes but snapped them back shut, moaning at the light which made her head hurt even worse. After a few moments she tried again. This time she whimpered against the blinding light, but forced them to remain open. The room came into focus and Helena saw other beds each with a side table. She obviously was in an infirmary. A woman with a kind of nursing cap stood over her.

Then she remembered. She had been set on fire! Gasping in alarm, she tried to wrench herself out of bed but the pain stopped her. The woman standing over her gently restrained her by placing her hands on her shoulders and easing her back down onto the pillow. Helena thrust her hands out then froze, amazed.

Blinking with astonishment, she looked at the perfectly intact skin on her hands and arms, the flesh unburned. She brought her hands to her face and then to her head. Nothing was burned. Her skin felt smooth and her hair was undamaged. She pulled the sheet up and looked down at her body. She was dressed in a patient gown. When she pulled it up, she saw her unburned legs. She finally looked back at the woman standing over her, her eyes wide in amazement.

“I’m Madam Pomfrey, the school healer. You gave us quite a scare, my dear. You’re on the mend now though.” Pomfrey said as she poured a glass of water. “Now then, let’s sit you up a bit.”

Pomfrey slipped an arm under Helena’s shoulders and lifted her head up. Helena cried out from the pain.

“There, there. Drink.” Pomfrey instructed as she held the glass to Helena’s lips.

Helena began to drink the water with great thirsty gulps. She raised a shaking hand to the glass to take it from Pomfrey in order to drink faster.

“Easy, my dear! Not too much too fast. You’ll get sick!”

Helena drained the glass and flopped back down onto the bed. She began to moan from the pain that wracked her body. Pomfrey held a vial of purple liquid to her lips.

“Pain potion. Drink.”

Helena sucked down the vial of liquid and after a few moments the pain began to subside.

She looked at her hands and arms again, rubbing the skin in disbelief.

“How?” she croaked hoarsely.

Dumbledore approached the bed and Helena’s eyes widened in fear. As far as she knew, he and Snape had set her on fire.

“No! Stay away from me!” she rasped.

“Please, Helena. Allow me to speak.” Dumbledore said gently as he pulled up a chair.

“You have been unconscious for two days now. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“You bastards trying to burn me alive, that’s what!” she spat.

“We did not set you on fire. You did.” Dumbledore answered evenly. “You, my dear, are a newly manifested pyrokinetic and psychokinetic. The trauma of being attacked and the anger of finding out about the truth of your situation must have caused your abilities to manifest. I’ve contacted an expert in this area and he explained that pyro and psychokinesis are recessive genetic traits that sometimes get ‘switched on’ during periods of heightened emotional states, like fear or rage. In your case, both of those emotions were running high the night you manifested. People with your abilities are rare. I have only met one other true pyrokinetic in my life and that was long ago.”

Helena stared at the old wizard incredulously.

“The expert I found is named Gavin Smythe and he’ll come here to Hogwarts to work with you. He assures me that you can learn to control these abilities, in your case probably quite easily. I mentioned to him that you’re a psychologist and he said he hopes you are skilled in a practice called ‘biofeedback.’ Are you familiar with this and do you know how to do it? I’m afraid I have no knowledge of this practice.”

Helena nodded. She had in fact been trained in biofeedback during her university years and frequently conducted therapeutic sessions to help her patients control their physical reactions to anxiety in cases of phobias and the like.

“Excellent!” Dumbledore exclaimed, beaming at Helena.

She stared at the ceiling momentarily, overwhelmed.

“When can I go home?” she asked. The old wizard’s smile faded from his face.

“Helena, I want to urge you to reconsider that, especially because you haven’t yet learned to control these abilities. Smythe said that until you gain control over these abilities, any strong emotion can trigger a manifestation. You can hurt people right now, Helena. You could even kill them. Furthermore, there is the issue of the attack on you by the two Death Eater wizards.”

Pomfrey ticked her tongue in disgust at hearing ‘Death Eaters.’

“When you lost consciousness and were brought here to the infirmary, I dispatched some Order members to your house. They found the dead wizard and removed his body. The other man was gone however. Presumably he regained consciousness and fled. They did find a broken statue and a blood stain on the floor next to it from when you hit him in the head. We are quietly working with the Muggle police through our liaison. Your neighbors had contacted them upon noticing you were missing and your garage standing open. They have declared the house a crime scene and have sealed it off at our request.”

Helena’s mind swam.

“Are the twins alright?”

“Of course. We have told them what has happened and about your manifested abilities. They are taking it very well. They’re just happy that their aunt is safe and on the mend. But I must insist that you stay here at Hogwarts for the time being. You would not be safe if you returned home. Surely by now the Death Eaters have learned of the death of their associate and will be actively seeking you for retaliation. Hogwarts is the safest place you and your niece and nephew can be right now.”

Helena became agitated at Dumbledore’s request.

“Stay here?! I can’t do that! I have a life! I have a house! I have a practice! I have patients who are very ill and the clinic needs me there to do my job! Some of my patients are deeply depressed, psychotic! I can’t just run away and hide!”

Helena began to raise her voice and pull herself up in bed. Pomfrey rushed over to her and uncapped another vial of liquid.

“Shh, there there. Please keep calm, dear. Here, drink this. This is a calming potion.”

Helena brushed away her hand.

“I will not calm down! I can not do what you’re asking! It’s impossible! My family will be frantic if I up and disappear!” Helena snapped as she sat further up in bed.

Dumbledore raised his palms.

“Please, Helena. Calm down. It is vital that you remain in control. We’ve contacted your family and apprised them of your situation. Naturally they’re concerned, but they’re relieved that you’re alright. They’ve contacted your clinic and told them you’re in the hospital.”

Helena’s eyes flashed with anger at Dumbledore and she opened her mouth to speak.

Suddenly, she felt a sickeningly familiar surge of energy rise and push against her skull. She had felt identical to this right before she was engulfed in flames in Dumbledore’s office. She fell back down on the bed.

“Oh god! Oh no!” she gasped as she closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply, in through her nose and out through her mouth. After a moment, the sensation abated slightly. She swallowed heavily and reopened her eyes.

“Excellent, my dear, well done!” Dumbledore said as Pomfrey held out the vial again. This time Helena accepted it and drank and began to relax a little. She rested her hand on her forehead and looked at Dumbledore to continue.

“I’m terribly sorry that it has to be this way, but you must remain here for the time being.” Dumbledore said gently but firmly.

“What if I refuse? Are you going to ‘arrest’ me?”

“I hope it will not come to that, Helena. If however it does, I will have to force the issue. Your situation right now is very volatile and I would be negligent if I allowed you to leave.”

Helena swallowed a rising knot in her throat. She felt as if she were in a very bizarre dream.

“So, does this mean I’m actually a witch or something?” She asked, flummoxed as to what to think.

“Not exactly. People with your abilities are known as ‘Paranormals.’ Smythe said that it will take time to identify what other, if any, abilities might have got switched on. What makes you different than us is that your abilities are a part of you, just like your eyes, arms, and so on, whereas witches and wizards are born with the ability to control and direct the forces around them, like an innate talent but one that must be developed and practiced.”

“I…are you sure?! I had no idea. No one ever told me anything like this.”

“No, they wouldn’t have. A person is born a Paranormal; they just don’t know it until their abilities manifest, if they ever do. Some Paranormals may live their entire lives without ever manifesting.”

Helena just blinked.

“I’m sorry that you haven’t had very much time to come to grips with all of this. I’ll let you rest now. Your niece and nephew have been asking to see you and I will send them here as soon as they get out of classes today. Gavin Smythe has been apprised that you’ve regained consciousness and he’ll arrive tomorrow to begin working with you. Please continue to take the calming potion for everyone’s safety.”

Dumbledore reached out, patted Helena’s arm and smiled reassuringly then stood and began walking away.

Helena stared at the back of Dumbledore as he departed. He suddenly stopped, turned back around, and looked at Helena with amusement.

“I nearly forgot, but Hagrid retrieved your motorcycle from Tom at The Leaky Cauldron. I’m sure by now he’s cabbaged it away in his shack and is staring wistfully at it. He used to ride an enchanted motorcycle from time to time in the past and greatly enjoyed it. I hope you can get it back from him without too much of a struggle.” Dumbledore departed the infirmary, chuckling to himself.

Helena could do nothing and think of nothing. She stared straight ahead as if in a trance.

It took the twins bounding into the infirmary several hours later to snap her out of her numbed state.